


anything i crave (actually tastes great)

by cosmicruin



Series: all things sweet and splendid [5]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Cravings, Established Relationship, M/M, Mpreg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:49:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29432703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicruin/pseuds/cosmicruin
Summary: Jongin’s senses of smell and taste undergo some changes.
Relationships: Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Series: all things sweet and splendid [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149095
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31
Collections: EXO Bakery - 2021





	anything i crave (actually tastes great)

The cake started it.

Jongin wasn’t the biggest fan of sweets. He could eat them without a hitch but never voluntarily reached for a pastry if presented with other options. Following a strict diet for ballet productions had nothing to do with it, either. He enjoyed the occasional Melona ice bar on humid summer days, or a _bunggeopang_ with custard filling if his mother bought it for him to try. Otherwise, his tongue was more acquainted with the savory end of the flavors spectrum.

There was always a first time for everything, however.

Jongin was carrying for the first time. He experienced nausea at different periods of the day for the first time three months ago, which lasted for just as long. Everything about him inside and out was undergoing changes for the first time, both subtle and surprising, and would grow to be more obvious in the following months.

Jongin wasn’t the biggest fan of sweets, but after watching a soloist from the neighboring table opening a small box and pulling out a slice of chocolate cream cake, the most unbelievable words came out of his mouth.

“A chocolate cake sounds nice right now,” Jongin mumbled around his spoon, not expecting anyone to hear him, eyes transfixed on the triangle-shaped goodness one table away.

“Ah, so it has began,” Moonkyu’s lighthearted comment broke his trance. He followed Jongin’s line of sight. “Chocolate cake? _Really?_ You don’t even like cake.”

“I _know_ ,” Jongin agreed, dragging out the last word for emphasis. He trusted Moonkyu to know his food preferences. Their friendship spanning more than a decade that began during their freshmen days at Sunhwa Arts High School attested to it. “Maybe it’s a fleeting craving? I can see cake and be overcome with an incredible want for it, but not exactly want to eat it, right?”

“Right.” Moonkyu sounded kind, although his tone indicated he was unsure of his own answer. “Even if you don’t want it, your baby might. Your taste buds might like it this time around, too.”

Rehearsals temporarily distracted Jongin from the nagging craving for cake. He remembered it three hours later on the way home upon stopping at a red light. His gaze strayed to the shops lining the sidewalk. One storefront banner caught his attention. The haunting, scrumptious image of the soloist’s cake at the cafeteria last lunchtime plagued his mind.

At the green light, Jongin couldn’t fathom what possessed him to turn right—opposite of the way home—eyes locked on the café’s banner and mind decided on one purpose.

“You’re eating cake?” was Sehun’s greeting an hour later when he walked through the kitchen entryway, the shock and confusion in his voice palpable.

Jongin offered a sheepish grin in response. He popped a forkful of cake into his mouth. “It’s _so_ good! I can’t stand it.” He accepted Sehun’s kiss before telling him of what happened at the cafeteria and on the way home. “I don’t get it. I just _had_ to get this specific cake no matter what.”

“You seem to be enjoying it. A quarter of the cake is already gone,” Sehun remarked, not unkindly. He bent down so his face was level with Jongin’s stomach; murmured a soft greeting and pressed a soft kiss to it. He occupied the stool beside Jongin after. “Our baby must like it a lot for you to give in. Do you think it’s a one-time thing?”

“If it stays, that’s one less puzzle to solve, right?” Jongin pillowed his head on Sehun’s shoulder, disregarding the other layers of scent caught in his suit and focused on the sandalwood his nose found quickly.

“It will certainly help me narrow down what to buy and avoid for your sake,” Sehun said, dropping a kiss on the crown of Jongin’s head.

The first trimester had not been easy on Jongin. As his trips to the bathroom increased because his food refused to stay down, so did the number of scents and sustenance he suddenly couldn’t stand.

Chicken was unfortunately one of them. Jongin had taken one whiff of Moonkyu’s soy garlic chicken takeout one day and nearly yelled at him to take it away because of the repulsive smell. The mere thought of even putting chicken in his mouth disgusted Jongin, regardless of how it was cooked. Some days he wondered and lamented how his favorite food suddenly became so revolting to him but accepted it part of his changing senses.

His chicken aversion had been awkward for his in-laws when they were invited for a lunchtime gathering. Mrs. Oh had brought out a platter of roasted chicken as surprise, and Jongin burst into tears at the sight of it, stunning everybody in the room. Jongin had been mortified of how he acted, but Mrs. Oh understood his plight and waved off the incident with graceful flippancy. A platter of steak had saved the day, which Jongin graciously ate through the hiccups.

Jongin knew it had been hard for Sehun, too. Searching for food he could tolerate felt like playing a constant guessing game with no guaranteed result. Sehun would prepare dishes that could hopefully whet his appetite. None tempted Jongin enough to reach for the utensils. Guilt pricked at Jongin’s sides whenever he said no or shook his head after one bite. Instead of getting discouraged by his acquired pickiness, Sehun used it to fuel his determination in trying to find the exact food Jongin’s body would accept.

Once the nausea abated and food started staying down again, they ended up with a sizable list. Jongin joked the list could lengthen if he was one of those expectant omegas who might be struck by cravings later.

“Sure, no problem,” Sehun had said, beaming and pleased after Jongin ate the last of the grilled lamb chops—apparently one of the few meats his body could digest without consequence. “As long as you’re eating adequately and getting proper nourishment, I’ll buy whatever you crave for. If I can’t, I’ll try to make it for you.”

One of them was, unexpectedly, bagels. Freshly-baked, stuffed with scrambled eggs and melted cheese. The closest bakery carrying bagels that best suited Jongin’s taste buds opened at six in the morning and a thirty-minute drive away from their penthouse. One morning, Sehun bought a pre-made bagel exactly the kind Jongin ate. Apologetic, slightly unimpressed, Jongin wrinkled his nose after one bite and put it down.

“You don’t like it?” Sehun took a bite, chewing slowly, trying to figure out what could be wrong. “It tastes fine to me.”

“I don’t like it.” Jongin scrunched up his nose. “It’s not unappetizing. I just like the bagels you make better.”

The bagels became a staple in Jongin’s diet during the nausea-ridden first trimester. Most mornings, Jongin woke up to a plate of two bagels for breakfast prepared by Sehun before he left for work. A separate container of bagels was also set aside for his lunch at the company. Jongin continued eating the bagels beyond the first three months. Although he could now eat bagels with other fillings, he still highly preferred his first love of scrambled eggs and melted cheese.

Now in his second trimester, the chocolate cream cake became a new addition to Jongin’s bag filled with bagels and an assortment of dried fruits and nuts to snack on through the day.

“Never in my years of being friends with you would I believe you’d willingly touch cake. Of the fresh cream kind, too,” Moonkyu commented, awed, smiling. “Do you think your baby will like cake or not when they grow up? There’s this belief children might take on one of your cravings as their favorite food, but that’s after they’re more developed and can start tasting.”

“I wonder…” Although he’d heard of similar accounts, Jongin didn’t really give it much thought. “I’d be so sad if my baby grows up disliking chicken. But, really, my baby can eat anything they want as long as they stay healthy.”

And hopefully develop healthier eating habits, Jongin added as an afterthought, when he rolled over in bed, suddenly prompted awake by hunger pangs at two in the morning. He wondered if it would pass, or if this was the baby’s way of communicating they wanted more nourishment without a care of the time. Jongin deduced it was the latter when the hunger pangs refused cessation, forcing him to get out of bed and venture to the kitchen.

After an eternity of searching the cupboards and refrigerator, Jongin sat on the kitchen island with a cup of plain yogurt and a pack of saltine crackers. Not even two spoonfuls later, Sehun arrived and navigated his way to him through half-open eyes.

“Why are you eating at two in the morning?” Sehun asked, almost slipping off the stool in his grogginess. “Was dinner not filling?”

“Baby was hungry and wouldn’t let me sleep.” Jongin stroked his stomach and munched on a cracker. “I’m going to be so sleepy in class later.”

“Take the morning off.” Sehun soothed Jongin’s back with up and down motions, even with the threat of his eyes closing in on him. “They accommodated you on your nauseous mornings. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

Jongin frowned at Sehun’s half-asleep state. “Go back to bed. You worked overtime today. I’m sure you’re tired.”

“I can’t sleep without you. Bed’s too cold.” Sehun stifled a yawn behind his hand but failed.

“You won’t be saying that when you get too sleepy to drive later.”

“I’ll take a cab or the subway if I’m too sleepy to get behind the wheel.” Although Sehun’s eyes were drooping, his hand on Jongin’s back slowing, it didn’t negate the seriousness underscoring his words. “I’ll do that when I buy your bagels later, too. I might be stubborn, but I’m also responsible. The last thing I want you to do is worry.”

Late-night snacking became an established routine. A far cry and vast improvement from the late-night bathroom trips that left Jongin weak and nearly dozing beside the toilet from the terrible nausea. Sehun had always been beside him, offering comfort through his scent, backrubs, gently dabbing at his mouth and helping him rinse with mouthwash. Sehun continued staying by his side as Jongin snacked at ungodly hours, even if he kept nodding off in his stool; even if had only gone to sleep for a few hours and ignored dissuasion to stay up in solidarity.

On a rather uneventful two o’clock, Jongin predictably woke up and trudged to the kitchen. Unpredictably, the yogurt didn’t look too enticing. So did the saltine crackers. His hunger pangs demanded pacifying. His mouth craved for a flavor he couldn’t identify; a food he couldn’t name.

Jongin lost track of time standing in front of the refrigerator trying to figure out what he wanted. The scent of sandalwood cut through his reverie first before his ears picked up the sound of muted footsteps.

Sehun emerged from the kitchen entryway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes; hair disheveled, pajamas rumpled, pillow indents on the left cheek. He blinked several times, looked from the refrigerator to Jongin, brows furrowing. “Nothing you want to eat?”

With perfect timing, Jongin’s hunger pangs roused once again. “I think our baby wants something else.” He rubbed his stomach, as if doing so could give him clues.

Sehun yawned once before holding up a hand. “Let me grab my phone real quick.”

That became the prelude to late-night ordering, and some cooking on Sehun’s part if they had the ingredients at hand. No consistent pattern showed itself for his late-night cravings and didn’t reflect what he wanted to eat in reasonable hours of the day.

It did reveal the oddest combinations Jongin conjured up in the long run.

Egg drop soup and pepperoni pizza (Jongin only ate the stuffed crust that came with it and left the rest uneaten, which Sehun finished on his behalf). Frankfurters and fresh carrot sticks dipped in Kyochon’s red pepper sauce (Jongin insisted it had to be theirs or nothing else, and Sehun had to temporarily transfer the chicken box in another room since he still couldn’t tolerate the smell and sight of it). Creamy mashed potatoes sprinkled with bacon bits and drizzled with honey had Jongin humming happily and Sehun watching him parts mortified and impressed. A meatball sandwich from Subway had Sehun scoffing every few seconds during the ordering process, incredulous that such a simple order underwent so many complications. Jongin only ate the meatballs when it was delivered, leaving Sehun to transform the leftover bread and marinara sauce into another sandwich of his liking.

The next time Jongin was struck with a different craving proved to be the most challenging.

“A mango sounds delicious right now.” Jongin couldn’t help but smile upon vocalizing the wish.

A number of fruits had been integrated into his diet since the difficult first trimester. His love for strawberries didn’t vanish, unlike his unfortunate fate with chicken. He enjoyed a glass of fresh orange juice anytime of the day; ate peaches on his Netflix horror movie binges, tangerines while building his Lego sets. Sometimes he sucked on lemon wedges, complaining afterward about the sourness and grimacing to prove a point—an unfailing source of Sehun’s entertainment, amused laughter.

Sehun picked up his phone. “How many packs of dried mangos should I order?”

Jongin blinked; frowned. “I don’t want that. I want the ripe, yellow, fleshy mangoes.”

Sehun opened and closed his mouth, looking more and more unsure by the second while staring at his phone. “Jongin, they have the mangoes you’re looking for online.”

Jongin’s excitement skyrocketed. “That’s great!” He looked at his stomach and stroked it. “Did you hear that, baby? We’ll be eating mangoes today.”

“Um.” Sehun looked absolutely apologetic, and Jongin found out why shortly. “The shop won’t start delivering until next week. They need five business days. You’ll have to wait until then for mangoes.”

Jongin’s head snapped up, his hand stilling immediately. It felt like the world came to a screeching halt. “What do you mean I’ll have to wait?” he asked, after a prolonged silence.

Sehun showed him the shipping details. The text flew right in front of Jongin’s eyes; yet, somehow, it didn’t seem right. Logically, he understood some products took time to be delivered. But hormones had a way of muddling rationale; this time, he felt slighted for being denied his mangoes after a long-running craving gratification streak from the past late nights. 

“But I want the mangoes now.” Jongin loathed the way his lower lip trembled; how the last word came out like a whine. Was this what they meant with whacked hormones during a pregnancy? He reached out to clutch at Sehun’s shirt, lips shaping itself into a pout. “Isn’t there a way to get it faster?”

He must’ve sounded so hurt—and probably smelled like it, too—because Sehun looked as helpless as he felt.

“If you want other variations of a mango, we can get those quicker. Would that be okay?” Sehun hurried to check his phone. “There’s one that can ship dried mangoes within three days. Oh, are dried mangoes unappealing to you right now? How about…”

Jongin frowned harder at every mango variety Sehun offered. A voice at the back of his mind was desperately telling him not to be irrational about this. The voice was promptly smothered by the rush of hormones as a sob welled up in Jongin’s throat and his vision gradually blurred. 

“I want a ripe mango, nothing else,” Jongin groused, the intensity of it dampened by the tears trickling down his face. He wiped them away hastily. “God, I don’t even know why I’m crying over this. I’m sorry.” He cried harder after that. “This is so confusing!”

Sehun’s face had been an entertaining slideshow of horrified, panicked, and ultimately softened by understanding. He enfolded Jongin in his arms, laughing a little. “Hey, hey, none of that. It’s okay. You’re just very specific about what you want to eat. It’s not a bad thing.”

“It is if it’s giving you a hard time, too,” Jongin said through his sobs, clinging to Sehun like a lifeline. “Crying over a ripe mango I can’t have until a few days? At such an ungodly hour, even? It’s absurd! I’m not unreasonable, but I’m acting the complete opposite.”

“It’s pregnancy. You’re bound to get unreasonable with many things,” Sehun countered, gently, but also with a hint of cheekiness that made Jongin chuckle despite his crying. After Jongin calmed, save for a few hiccups, Sehun drew back to wipe away the tears. “I really can’t do anything about the mangoes, but if you still want it now and won’t mind a substitute for the time being, I have something in mind.”

Jongin’s incredible craving for the ripe mango wouldn’t stop until he had the actual thing; but Sehun was also trying his best, and sometimes, some things were just way beyond their control. He conditioned himself to compromise, and if it meant going against the influence of his hormones, so be it.

The mango jelly cup Sehun bought on a quick convenience store run was cold and sweet, and while it paled in comparison to the real thing, Jongin ate two out of three and felt himself sated. Sehun looked relieved, and Jongin was about to apologize for causing this fuss when he reached forward and caressed his stomach.

“Baby, I’m sorry if Papa can’t give you a ripe mango like you and Daddy wanted. The real mangoes are coming, so I hope the jelly tasted good for now. Just a little waiting, okay?” A soft smile adorned Sehun’s face as he spoke.

This time, when Jongin burst out crying once again (and alarmed Sehun), he knew it wasn’t out of irrationality if based on the swell of pride and adoration in his chest.

(He also got his mangoes exactly five days after that night.)

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at:  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/mindstormfury/)  
> [Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/propinquity)


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